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When I told my colleagues I had just gotten an M3 in for review, they looked all jealous and rushed down to the garage to check it out. But rather than BMW's legendary weekend racer, I was talking about EcoReco's M3, an electric scooter. Unlike the Beemer, the M3 E-Scooter runs on electricity, can fold up for easy storage, and gets up to only 20 mph.

Design and features

Similar to the types of scooters Razor repopularized in 1999, the M3 E-Scooter consists of a wheeled deck and steering column with handlebars. Instead of foot power, however, the deck contains a lithium-ferrophosphate battery pack which powers a 250-watt electric motor in the rear hub.

The structural pieces of the M3 E-Scooter are made from thick aluminum, giving the scooter a solid feel. Solid rubber wheels mean no flats, but also less cushioning for the ride. A front suspension with small, coiled spring dampers helps a little. Most useful, a kickstand on the deck lets you stand it up anywhere.

The handlebars hold the drive controls, which consist of a handbrake, accelerator lever, start button, and a round LCD. The LCD shows speed, battery charge, and an odometer. Cables and wiring run from the handlebars into the steering column, then down into the deck. I felt the wiring could be dressed better.

EcoReco includes a charger with the scooter, a black box that plugs into any 110-volt AC outlet and the scooter's own charging port. Although you can see the battery level on the scooter's LCD, the charger also has an LED that turns green when charging is done. According to EcoReco, the battery pack charges from empty to full in 4.5 hours, or up to 80 percent capacity in 2.5 hours. The company also points out that the lithium-ferrophosphate battery chemistry means it can handle more than 2,000 charging cycles.

The M3 E-Scooter's black aluminum frame makes it look more like adult transportation than a child's toy.
Wayne Cunningham/CNET

Getting started

When I received the M3 E-Scooter, it was charged up, and I was eager to give it a try. I put a foot on the deck, pulled the accelerator lever, and...nothing. I turned it off then turned it back on again, and still nothing.

Finally resorting to the manual, which is printed on recycled-looking paper, I found that I had to start off by rolling the M3 E-Scooter forward, getting up some momentum, before the accelerator would activate. That seems like a smart safety feature, eliminating the danger of the thing accidentally leaping away from you.

Setting out in the approved fashion, the torque from the hub motor soon had me speeding up and down the halls of the CNET offices. The deck offered plenty of room for my feet and I was able to maintain slower speeds when maneuvering around cubicles. The motor kept it from freewheeling, so I could generally slow down enough just by letting off the accelerator.

The brake, which stops only the rear wheel, proved adequate. As a safety feature, pressing the brake turns off the accelerator, so if you panic and squeeze both handlebar levers, the M3 E-Scooter will still come to a stop.

In the wild

Getting more adventurous, I took the M3 E-Scooter out to Treasure Island, a flat, man-made island in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Deciding to lap the island, I donned my helmet and jumped on board. A few things immediately became apparent. First of all, on rough asphalt the ride was far from comfortable. Vibration throughout the scooter proved tough on my ankles and wrists, and only got worse the longer I rode. Riding over some brick paving, I was shaken so much my eyes could barely focus.